Legacy of Kain: Soulreaver (I)

Legacy of Kain is actually two series of related RPGs.  The Soulreaver series contrary to the Blood Omen series follows the adventures of Raziel, a fallen vampire lord turned wraith manipulated by the supernatural forces that spin the fictitious world of Nosgoth.  Raziel was once a lieutenant of Kain, A vampire king.  He and his brethren ruled the vampire activities for thousands of years.  Every now and again each of the vampires (including Kain) would undergo a metamorphosis that would endow them with even greater vampiric powers.  Raziel had been the first to surpass his King and in doing so he was exiled and sentenced to death.  Kain had Raziel thrown into a deep lake which to most vampires would incinerate them like acid on flesh.  Raziel was destroyed but his remains wash up in the chambers of a subterranean deity (known as the Elder God) who restores Raziel as a wraith.  He sends Raziel on a quest for vengeance on Kain who the Elder God considers an abomination to the cycle of life which he maintains.  Raziel now feeds on spectral energy such as the newly severed souls of the freshly killed lives, or the soul energy of a felled undead.  Since Raziel's life force was once that of a vampire's Raziel can absorb the powers of his felled brethren - especially useful since he is being specifically sent to the living world to hunt down all of his brethren and Kain as to return them to the Wheel of Fate the Elder God is the personification of.

The gameplay is third person (over the shoulder) perspective.  You play Raziel who you must navigate through 3D freestyle seamless environments which are first interwoven by caves and roadways and tunnels but as you pass certain waypoints you activate a portal that Raziel can travel back and forth from.  You are free to go anywhere but are usually guided by accomplishing puzzles and unlocking more of the world.  Your search for your brethren and Kain will push you through puzzles, respawning encounters and boss fights with key characters of the game's story.  After each boss fight Raziel absorbs new powers that either allow him to deal with more dangerous enemies or allow him access to more parts of the world.  He must also as well search for artifacts that boost or extend his life energy.

Perhaps the neatest thing about being undead is that you can't die.  When Raziel's life energy falls below empty Raziel disappears back into the realm of the undead where he must fend of malicious spirits and feed on felled soul energy to phase back into the realm of the living.  Furthermore, if he is defeated even in the realm of the spirit, he is reborn back in the chamber of the Elder God where he must travel back to his last point of progress - hence the waypoints become even more important in saving travel time.  Raziel can also shift back into the realm of the spirit at the players own choosing and use to his advantage the differing properties of both realities.

The interesting brainteasing environment puzzles are well balance with the equally challenging button mashing combat that can be unleashed in many satisfying ways.  If you are perhaps not so into incinerating your foes you can as well grab spear-like implements from the environment to whack and impale your quarry.

Raziel's first journey through Nosgoth ends with a promise of more soul sucking adventures to come as Kain escapes Raziel's clutches through a time portal.  You can find Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (I) on Ebay for less than $20 USD.